While NBC’s
broadcast of
the Summer
Olympics in London
was a ratings success,
the criticisms over
some aspects of its coverage
was a microcosm
of how consumers believe
content should be
delivered in today’s multi-device environment.

An increasing number of consumers
view media on their portable devices and
share it via social networks these days and
it is those consumers who resent any attempts
to restrict access to content, whatever
it may be. When it comes to canned
content such as movies and TV shows, such
access has existed in a fairly controlled and
balanced environment, (although piracy
remains a constant concern). When such
large-scale live events such as the Olympics
enter the picture, those consumers expect
continued unfettered access to such
content in real time.

And for the vast majority of its two weeks
plus broadcasts, NBC delivered that
real-time coverage, much of it for free over the-
air. It was only when viewers realized
that coverage of the high-profile events
would be delayed for prime time that the
real criticism let loose. In that respect, NBC
hasn’t really changed the manner of its prime time
coverage since the Olympics were
first broadcast by U.S. networks more than
50 years ago. But in a world where social
networks and constant up-to-the-minute
newsfeeds occupy our daily media consumption,
consumers expect more.

Of course the press loves controversy
and, looking at it another way, if this was
the biggest problem during the Olympics,
perhaps that’s a good thing, considering
the very public angst over security concerns
leading up to the event.

NBC delivered more than 5,000 hours
of Olympics coverage this year, an astounding
accomplishment that reflects the hard
work and dedication of the network’s
Olympics technical crew, led by Dave
Mazza, and documented in this issue by TV
Technology Europe Editor Mark Hallinger.
The network has honed its editing, asset
management and distribution platforms
to enable faster, more efficient production
methods that will serve as a template for
years to come, even in areas beyond its
Olympics coverage.

The Olympics is one of those high-profile events that transcends labels. Is it a
news event? Is it a sporting event? Is it a TV
show? In reality, it’s all three and NBC performed
a delicate balancing act over the
two weeks between ensuring a high-quality
program and delivering as much content
to as many platforms as available, all while
trying to satisfy advertisers as well as media-
savvy consumers who demand content
anywhere, anytime, and on any device. And
while the critics were fairly vocal, they represented
a small minority of disgruntled
viewers. The numbers told the story: NBC
averaged 31.5 million viewers per night, an
increase of 12 percent over Beijing.

But that doesn’t mean that the network
will maintain the status quo. “We evaluate
our business models all the time, and
seek the best ways to satisfy the majority
of viewers, as well as advertisers, and our
affiliate stations,” Mark Lazarus, NBC Sports
chairman told the L.A. Times. “We’re going
to continue to innovate... We’ve got the
Olympic Games through 2020 and the one
thing we know for sure is that the media
landscape’s going to change.”

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The FAA’s current rules and proposed ban on flight over people, requirement of visual line of sight and restriction on nighttime flying, effectively prohibit broadcasters from using UAS for newsgathering. ~ WMUR-TV General Manager Jeff Bartlett